Can You Learn the Violin Online?
We live in a different world now. Human contact, especially in a hands-on environment, can be deadly these days. With proper precautions (wear your mask people!), small groups can interact, but larger groups like, say, an orchestra or choir are trouble. In our new world, artistic professionals (musicians, artists, etc.) have gone to teaching online…
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violinguy
9 of the Dumbest Violin Questions I’ve Heard
As a professional violinist, I get asked a lot of questions. Is the violin hard? Are your strings really made out of cat gut? How old were you when you started? And many more. Some of these questions are easy to answer. On the other hand, I’ve also been asked enough dumb violin questions to…
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violinguy
Famous Composers and Their Habits
Sometimes listeners have trouble identifying music they hear, and they try to at least guess the composer. Sometimes it’s easy (like Haydn vs. Bartok), but sometimes it’s very difficult (Mozart vs. Haydn). We all have our favorite composers that we can always identify, but no matter who you are, there’s bound to be a work…
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violinguy
Musicians who Travel – Five Things they Need
Wouldn’t it be great if all of our gigs were in the same town we live in? Or at least within an hour of our home? Sadly, if you want to make good money as a freelance musician, you have to travel and stay overnight from time to time. This means long car rides, a…
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violinguy
Chamber Music – The Best Way to Play
There are three basic categories of classical music that performers can choose from – orchestral music, solo music, and chamber music. Obviously within those categories are infinite sub-categories and genres, but when we perform, we do so in one of those three ways. I have loved chamber music since the tender young age of 13…
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violinguy
Long Layoff – Getting Started Again!
For those of you just joining us, I usually post 2-3 times every month. You may have noticed an almost two month layoff. Hopefully you did because that means you actually visit here regularly :). I enjoy creating new content and updating my site regularly but sometimes life takes over and some things need to…
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violinguy
Myths of Classical Music Debunked (Mostly)
For those of us who make our living performing classical music, loving it is a no-brainer. Explaining it to the uninitiated is another matter completely. It has become increasingly more difficult for the general population to take the plunge and listen to classical music. Personally, I think it’s because of one or more of the…
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violinguy
5 Things to Remember Now That Summer Is Here
Summer is here (at least in Georgia where I live) and that means school is out, kids run wild, and the weather is nasty. High temperatures mean sunburn and dehydration while you’re in the pool or at the beach. You need to be aware of the ways hot weather and sun can hurt you. You…
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violinguy
Final Four – Tournament of Classical Music
Well, here we are. I’ve been out of town performing and that’s made me a little negligent when it comes to writing for my blog. I’m going to fix that with a bunch of posts this week before I go out of town again. Today, we’re going to get our tournament down to the final…
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violinguy
Another Tournament Update – Bach and Mozart
The other two brackets have completed their games so it’s time to get the results. If you missed the other results, you can see them here. Will there be any big upsets like the Stravinsky bracket provided? Will Mozart and Bach have the same drama as the other brackets? Let’s find out. Bach Bracket –…
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violinguy
Tournament Update – Beethoven and Stravinsky Brackets
The games are afoot, so to speak, in the Tournament of Classical Music! Here is the first update and results post. Now, this year I’m determining the results on my own. In future years, with more readers, I will probably put it to a vote. As far as this year is concerned, I am going…
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violinguy
Tournament of Classical Music – The Brackets
March is here, and with it comes the madness. March Madness to be exact. My version of March Madness is The Tournament of Classical Music. This post announces the brackets and the play-in game winners. For an overview and explanation of the rules, you can read this post. Finally, don’t forget that this list includes…
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